There’s a shift happening quietly in the background of every meeting, every dashboard, every “quick sync” that’s supposed to move work forward. You can feel it. Learning and Development (L&D) is no longer the department people come to when they need training—it’s the discipline organizations turn to when they need to reinvent.

As we step into 2026, L&D leaders face a paradox: We’re being asked to move faster than ever before while thinking more deeply about what it means to be human in the workplace. AI is changing how work gets done, but also who does the work, how people learn, and why they stay. The best L&D leaders won’t be those who simply keep up with technology; they’ll be the ones who help their organizations make sense of it.

Below are five priorities that will define the next era of Learning and Development—an era where adaptability, discernment, and empathy will matter as much as data and design.

1. From learning delivery to capability ecosystems

The term “training” is fading away. Employees want competence, not just a course. This competence must be built in real time, matching the speed of business.

The next frontier is not the learning management system (LMS), but the ecosystem—a dynamic network of learning experiences, data insights, AI-driven nudges, and communities of practice. The role of the L&D leader is no longer to create everything but to connect the pieces.

Ask yourself:

• Does your learning setup feel like a library or a vibrant network?
• Are employees wasting time searching for content, or are they finding what they need?
• Most importantly, do you know which skills your organization truly needs to compete in 2026, not just the ones you’ve always trained for?

Building capabilities must bridge strategy and execution. If your learning ecosystem doesn’t match your future operating model, you’re training people for the past.

2. AI is not the answer; it’s the amplifier

The buzz around AI can be overwhelming, but the reality is that AI isn’t taking over L&D; it’s coming through it. The leaders who succeed in 2026 won’t be the ones who gather the most tools; they’ll be the ones who ask tough questions.

AI can tailor learning paths, create adaptive simulations, and summarize insights quickly. But it can also increase bias, oversimplify complexities, and damage trust if misused. The real difference won’t be technical skill; it will be ethical awareness.

Consider:

• How are we using AI to support human judgment, not replace it?
• What hidden tradeoffs exist in our automation choices?
• Who is being excluded from the AI conversation because they don’t understand the technology yet?

AI can provide speed and scale, but meaning still comes from humans. The future L&D leader will be part technologist and part anthropologist, bridging machine intelligence and human experience.

3. Change management becomes culture management

In 2026, every organization is a change organization. Transformation isn’t an initiative, it’s a condition.

We’ve spent years teaching leaders how to “manage change,” but the term itself feels outdated. Change doesn’t need to be managed; people need to be guided through it.

This is where L&D becomes the cultural backbone of the enterprise. The best programs in 2026 will move beyond “coping with change” to cultivating change agility as a muscle, a practiced capability that helps teams adapt, learn, and reorient quickly.

The question shifts from “How do we train for change?” to “How do we normalize evolution?”

L&D should lead with practices that reinforce learning as identity, not event. Coaching, storytelling, reflection, and peer learning must sit alongside formal programs. When people see themselves as learners, not just employees, change stops feeling like something done to them and starts feeling like something done through them.

4. Rebuilding trust & belonging in hybrid cultures

The quiet crisis in today’s workplace is disconnection. Employees may work from anywhere, but they often feel they are learning from nowhere.

In hybrid settings, culture isn’t confined to buildings; it comes from behaviors. L&D is in a prime position to observe how people experience belonging, or lack thereof.

In 2026, L&D leaders must view engagement as an ecosystem built on trust. Learning experiences that foster psychological safety, shared language, and mutual understanding are essential for retention.

When employees feel ignored, they disengage. When they feel unappreciated, they leave. The future of learning will be measured more by connection rates than completion rates.

Ask:

• Are we designing learning that helps people feel recognized?
• Are we creating environments where questions are welcomed, not shamed?
• Are we valuing vulnerability as much as performance?

Learning can’t just be about transactions. It must be a conversation that reconnects people to purpose in this digital age.

5. Redefining talent: From roles to potential

Job descriptions are becoming outdated. Rapid changes mean roles shift faster than organizational charts. The smartest companies are now mapping skills rather than titles and focusing on potential instead of background.

In 2026, L&D leaders must become curators of potential. This means identifying hidden skills, promoting them through meaningful work, and removing obstacles that hinder personal growth.

Upskilling and reskilling will continue to be crucial, but the key differentiator will be building resilience. Technical skills help you land a job. Human skills; like empathy, curiosity, and adaptability—keep you relevant when roles change.

Learning leaders need to think long-term: designing programs that develop not just tasks but future-ready identities.

Examine:

• Do your programs promote adaptability, or just expertise?
• Do your managers know how to identify and nurture potential?
• Are your learning investments building skills or developing people?

The competition for talent isn’t just about hiring anymore. It’s about unlocking the potential already present in your organization.

The meta-skill for 2026: Sense-making

The most crucial skill for any L&D leader in 2026 won’t be instructional design, data analysis, or even AI literacy, it will be sense-making.

We have plenty of information, but we lack meaning. Leaders need to help interpret noise, find clarity, and create coherence in contradiction. That’s the real role of L&D today, to aid people in navigating complexity so they can act with confidence.

This means:

• Turning insights into compelling stories people can rally around.
• Translating organizational strategy into actions people can take.
• Positioning technology as a resource to enhance our humanity, not as a threat.

In a world driven by optimization, learning leaders have the courage to ask a different question: What is worth preserving?

A final thought: The human dividend

As AI takes over routine tasks and the pace of change quickens, the human dividend, our ability to connect, empathize, and adapt, becomes the unique factor that no machine can replicate.

The irony of 2026 is that the more digital we become, the more human we need to be. L&D exists at this crossroads. As you plan for the year ahead, keep this in mind: Technology will continue to progress. Roles will keep changing. But people; their fears, hopes, and desire to grow, will stay the same.

The leaders who thrive in 2026 won’t be the ones who master every new tool. They’ll be the ones who remind their organizations of what it means to learn, grow, and be human.

Image credit: Parradee Kietsirikul

The post 2026 Priorities for L&D Leaders: Navigating Change, Tech & Talent appeared first on Learning Guild.

“Complacency is like the water a fish swims in—it’s everywhere, but we don’t see it.” — John Kotter

Change management is having its moment again—but perhaps for the wrong reasons. In an era now defined by generative AI, hybrid work, and relentless transformation, learning and development (L&D) teams are being asked not only to help others adapt, but to reinvent themselves at the same time.

For more than 25 years, I’ve conducted in-depth interviews with leading thinkers on leadership and organizational change—Harvard Professor John Kotter among them. Over time, I’ve distilled the essence of their ideas into insights for learning professionals who are increasingly being called to serve as catalysts for enterprise change. Across all these conversations, one message is consistent:

Technology doesn’t drive transformation—people do. It’s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what’s outdated, and their courage to create what’s next.

In this, the first of a two-part series based on an interview with Kotter, I draw two enduring lessons that stand out for L&D leaders seeking to lead meaningful change in their companies: confront complacency and ignite urgency.

1. Confront complacency: Recognize the invisible enemy

Kotter once said that complacency is “like a fish not seeing the water it swims in.” In 2025, that metaphor feels painfully accurate for L&D. Many organizations appear in motion—launching learning campaigns, publishing micro-courses, tracking dashboards—but few are moving forward. Kotter called this ‘false urgency’: frantic activity driven by anxiety, not insight.

In learning organizations, false urgency often looks like:

• Chasing course completions instead of capability growth
• Mistaking content production for culture change
• Confusing ‘being busy’ with ‘being useful’

The deeper danger is that busyness masks complacency. As Kotter observed, “It’s almost impossible to find a person who sees themselves as complacent.” The same applies to departments. An L&D function can look productive—publishing hundreds of modules—while avoiding the tougher work of confronting outdated strategies, systems, or habits that no longer serve the organization’s goals.

What to do

Build reflective mechanisms into your practice. Instead of measuring learning activity, focus on how quickly people perform better—Kotter’s go-to benchmark for true learning. Use after-action reviews, performance analytics, or learner narratives to see whether knowledge is actually turning into change.

L&D insight

Build a culture that values reflection as an antidote to Kotter’s ‘false urgency.’

2. Ignite urgency: Keep the spark alive

Kotter argued that “a true sense of urgency is rare, much rarer than most people think.” It’s a focused energy built on opportunity, not fear. For L&D leaders, urgency is the spark that transforms learning from an HR service into a strategic driver of growth.

But maintaining that spark requires deliberate attention. In my interview, Kotter linked the problem to how people learn and evolve over time. “We level off in our forties,” he said, “and when that happens, we don’t see what’s newly important.” His point wasn’t about age—it was about habit. As careers advance, learning often narrows. We become experts in what worked yesterday, not explorers of what might work tomorrow.

This is especially true for senior managers who still equate training with compliance rather than curiosity. They see learning as something employees have to do, not something leaders get to do. The result is an undercurrent of complacency at the very level where urgency should live.

L&D professionals must therefore ignite urgency through connection, not crisis—by linking learning to real performance, customer impact, and organizational purpose. Kotter pointed to leaders like Andy Grove at Intel and Jack Welch at GE, who often created short-term tension (“If there isn’t a crisis, make one”) but then redirected it toward opportunity.

What to do

Frame learning as an enterprise-level advantage, not a departmental expense. Launch visible engaging ‘learning experiments’ tied to strategic outcomes. Communicate wins quickly and vividly—Kotter emphasized short, emotionally charged videos that show success stories rather than explain them.

L&D insight

Urgency is emotional before it is operational. Make people feel the need to grow.

Applying Kotter’s ideas in practice: The Amtrak experience

Years ago, while serving as part of a national Six Sigma initiative at Amtrak, I had the opportunity to put Kotter’s principles into action. I was dedicated to developing a 35-member cross-functional team led by a Six Sigma Black Belt. We used Our Iceberg Is Melting as the foundation for our change management training, translating its fable-based lessons into real-world practice.

The workshop was so engaging that the team adopted a stuffed penguin—just like the one in Kotter’s story—as its mascot. It appeared in team photos, newsletters, and project milestones for years after the seminar, becoming a playful yet powerful reminder of shared purpose.

Over a five-year period, I built a series of developmental challenges for the team that grew to include not only change management, but also communication, persuasion, and collaborative problem-solving. The penguin became a symbol of progress, showing that transformation wasn’t abstract—it was lived.

That experience confirmed what Kotter had long asserted: Lasting transformation depends not on process or technology, but on the human stories we use to make meaning of change.

In Part 2, we’ll turn to the tougher side of Kotter’s message—how to disarm resistance, sustain ‘urgent patience,’ and help teams move from false urgency to real momentum.

References

• Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
• Kotter, J. P. (2008). A Sense of Urgency. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
• Kotter, J. P. (2014). Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
• Kotter, J. P., & Rathgeber, H. (2006). Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
• Weick, K. E. (1984). Small wins: Redefining the scale of social problems. American Psychologist, 39(1), 40–49.

Image credit: undefined undefined

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In this webinar, you will: 

• See learning solutions created by your peers.
• Learn about the tools and technologies used to create these projects.
• Hear about the obstacles faced along the way and how they were overcome.
• Leave with inspiration that can be applied in your work.

The post 2025 Best of DevLearn DemoFest Webinar  appeared first on Learning Guild.

If you’ve ever felt like a course catalog manager, taking orders for training without question, designing solutions before understanding problems, or struggling to prove your value beyond attendance numbers, you’re not alone. Many learning professionals find themselves trapped in an order-taking role, responding to stakeholder requests with “Sure, we can build that training” before asking the most critical question: “Why?”

There’s a roadmap to break free from this reactive pattern. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Build business acumen skills

The foundation of strategic partnership is understanding the business deeply enough to challenge assumptions and propose alternatives. Business acumen isn’t about becoming a finance expert; it’s about building four key capabilities:

1. Strategic alignment & impact: When you understand how learning initiatives connect to organizational goals, you can design solutions that move real business metrics, not just completion rates.
   Start by understanding your business context. Study your company’s strategic goals and map how L&D can genuinely support them. Take time to understand different business functions: What does marketing do? What challenges does operations face? This knowledge transforms how you approach learning solutions.
   Build financial literacy incrementally. You don’t need an MBA, but you should understand cost-benefit analysis, resource allocation, and how to demonstrate ROI through data. Learn to speak in terms of business value.
2. Stakeholder credibility & buy-in: Speaking the language of business builds trust and positions you as someone who understands the bigger picture, increasing your competitive advantage within the organization.
   Increase your visibility by asking thoughtful questions rather than simply accepting requirements. Make recommendations backed by data and research. Demonstrate the value of your expertise to your stakeholders.
3. Performance-driven design decisions: When you make data-informed decisions grounded in business realities, your recommendations carry weight.
   Think strategically by connecting every learning initiative to organizational performance goals. Before designing a solution, ask: Is this scalable? Is it sustainable? Does it address a real performance gap or just a perceived training need?
4. Develop market awareness: Follow industry trends through resources, such as McKinsey, Deloitte, the World Economic Forum, and Boston Consulting Group reports. Use tools like Lightcast or similar ones to analyze growing skills in your industry and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to anticipate future skills needs. When you can speak to where the market is headed, you become invaluable.

2. Master evaluation beyond smile sheets

Nothing combats order-taking faster than being able to prove, or disprove, that training is the right solution. Yet most organizations and L&D professionals stop at satisfaction surveys (smile sheets) and attendance tracking, the lowest levels of measurement. Some may even measure learning and change of behavior by asking learners in learner surveys.

These data do not generate actionable insights. Explore the research on “illusions of knowledge,” meaning learners assume they have learned and are competent, whereas if assessed rigorously, it would prove against this assumption. “Dunning-Kruger effect” is another phenomenon proving that learners are not the best sources to verify the effectiveness of training.

Learn by doing: Start small with pilot evaluations. Propose a single project where you’ll track actual on-the-job behavior change, not just completion rates. Show results through regular status updates at key intervals, then use an iterative cycle to gradually expand your evaluation practices. The key is demonstrating value through data, which shifts conversations from “Can you build this training?” to “Should we build training at all?”

Iterative Design & Evaluation Cycle

Choose an evaluation model based on evidence, not popularity: While there are many evaluation models, such as Katzell-Kirkpatrick, Phillips’ ROI, Holton’s HRD, Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method, Stufflebeam’s CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product), select one that research shows is effective for your context. I use Thalheimer’s LTEM (Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model) because it bridges the gap between learning and workplace performance by measuring knowledge, decision-making, and task performance during training, then measures transfer to work performance and effects of transfer after training on the job.

My key recommendation is developing criterion-referenced tests—assessments that measure whether learners can perform specific job tasks to a defined standard—rather than simple knowledge checks. Use scenario-based questions aligned with actual work context, then repeat these same tests 2-3 months after training in addition to using observation checklists on the job to measure actual transfer and determine whether skills stuck and are being used in the workplace, not just whether people could demonstrate them in a training environment.

Plan the evaluation from the start, not as an afterthought: Use a logic model to map out what and how you’ll evaluate, and work backwards from impact to activities:

• Start with impact: What does success look like at the organizational or community level? This is your ultimate destination.
• Define long-term outcomes: What workplace performance changes (transfer) do you need to see to achieve that impact? These are your training goals.
• Identify short-term outcomes: What immediate changes in knowledge, skills, or confidence are necessary stepping stones?
• Map your activities and resources: What coaching and support (budget, tools, time, people) need to be in place to make this happen?

An example of a logic model

3. Use results-driven design to connect training to real-world performance

When training is the right solution, design it with the end in mind. Use a results-driven design approach:

• Identify the specific skills that drive performance outcomes
• Define performance objectives in measurable terms
• Create during-training assessments using scenario-based questions, skills checklists, and raters
• Develop learning materials and resources aligned to those specific objectives
• Conduct after-training, on-the-job assessment using observation checklists, repeated assessments, and surveys
• Measure actual task performance through focus groups, document reviews, and end-user feedback

This approach ensures every design decision traces back to workplace performance, not just knowledge acquisition.

4. Become an organizational consultant, not just a course builder

Most performance problems aren’t training problems. They’re caused by unclear expectations, missing tools, poor processes, lack of feedback, or misaligned incentives. Yet stakeholders often come to L&D with a training request because that’s the tool they know.

You should take a holistic approach and understand the root cause of performance gaps:

• Resist the urge to immediately discuss training solutions. This is the defining moment that separates order takers from strategic partners.
• Shift the conversation from solution mode to problem definition mode. Instead of asking “What kind of training do you want?” ask “Help me understand the performance challenge we’re trying to solve.”
• Guide stakeholders through the analysis process rather than doing it to them. Make them partners in diagnosing the real issue.

Sample consultation questions

• “What specific behaviors or outcomes aren’t happening that should be?”
• “Why isn’t the behavior change happening now?”
• “What would success look like in measurable terms?”
• “What other factors affect the target learners’ performance?”
• “What have you tried before, and what were the results?”
• “Does learning solve this problem, or do we need to think of other ways to address it?”

These questions position you as a consultant focused on performance improvement, not a vendor taking orders for courses.

5. Master stakeholder management

You can’t be a strategic partner if you’re isolated in the L&D department. Stakeholder management is about building the relationships and credibility that give you influence.

• Listen actively and demonstrate genuine understanding of stakeholders’ challenges. Don’t just hear their training request—understand the business pressure behind it.
• Partner collaboratively by establishing credibility through joint problem-solving. Schedule regular check-ins and have informal conversations that aren’t tied to specific project requests. This builds trust over time.
• Gain operational knowledge about who holds influence (high and low) and interest (high and low) in learning initiatives. Partner directly with front-line managers and staff who understand day-to-day performance challenges.
• Become a go-to resource by sharing relevant research, benchmark data, and trend analysis even when not asked. Position yourself as someone who brings value beyond course development.

6. Communicate like a partner, not a training expert

Finally, how you communicate determines whether you’re seen as strategic or tactical.

Eliminate jargon: Instead of talking about “learning objectives,” “instructional design models,” or technical training terms, translate what you do into simple language. Talk about performance improvement, behavior change, and measurable results—concepts that resonate with stakeholders and clearly connect your work to what they care about. I once got into a heated discussion with stakeholders when I used the term “learning outcomes” instead of “learning objectives”—they wanted to know the difference! Now, I use “performance objectives” to shift their mindset toward performance improvement, not just knowledge acquisition.

Use open-ended questions that invite dialogue: “What would success look like?” “What other factors affect performance?” These questions position you as a consultant, not a vendor.

Approach every conversation with confident humility: Be confident in your expertise while remaining genuinely curious about their challenges. Seek feedback continuously and apply research to practice, demonstrating mastery of learning sciences without being preachy about it.

Your action plan

Don’t try to transform overnight. Start with these small steps:

1. This week: The next time someone requests training, pause and ask three diagnostic questions before discussing solutions.
2. This month: Pilot one evaluation that measures on-the-job behavior change, not just satisfaction. Share the results with stakeholders.
3. This quarter: Schedule informal coffee chats with three stakeholders to understand their challenges—without pitching any learning solutions.
4. This year: Build one business acumen skill (financial literacy, market awareness, or strategic thinking) through deliberate study and application.

The shift from order taker to strategic advisor doesn’t require permission from your leadership. It starts with how you show up in the next stakeholder conversation. Will you accept the training request at face value, or will you ask “Why?” and guide them toward the real solution—whether that’s training or something else entirely?

Image credit:

• Top image: EtiAmmos
• Remaining graphics: Elham Arabi

The post From Order Takers to Strategic Advisors in 6 Steps appeared first on Learning Guild.

The future is not what the learning and development industry’s crystal ball predicted years ago. Many believed organizations would adopt one learning platform to fulfill all their training needs. Fast forward to today and this isn’t the case at all. The reality is that most organizations have disparate Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and data and BI tools implemented across every department. Each department has different priorities and needs specific tools designed for their own unique requirements. The result is the organization is left feeling disjointed and unable to easily track learner data. Now, a new and more daunting challenge is presented: Connecting these various systems and analytics together in a way that’s usable at scale, across geographies, and by both internal and external audiences.

In this session you will learn:

• What tools and systems are most commonly used in ecosystems today.
• How to identify the technical considerations in managing multiple systems and organizing disparate data.
• How to inventory your ecosystem and know what questions to ask vendors when acquiring new tools.
• How to organize your learning ecosystem to improve functionality and interoperability

The post Mapping Your Ecosystem: Uniting Content and Data Across Systems appeared first on Learning Guild.

Through real-world case examples, we will explore how strategic use of surveys, forms, and data analytics can elevate the learning impact of microlearning courses.

We will discuss how pre-assessments, post-assessments, and course evaluations have enabled an organization to pinpoint knowledge gaps, gather immediate learner feedback, and iteratively refine our microlearning designs. Explore and discuss how we utilize the results to inform current and future designs.

Learning objectives:

• Explain the role of surveys and forms as pre-assessments, post-assessments, and course evaluations within microlearning course environments.
• Describe the process of outlining, designing, and implementing surveys and forms to assess knowledge gaps and gather learner feedback.
• Analyze the survey and form results to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
• Apply insights from the survey and form data to inform the design of future learning experiences.

The post Using Data to Enhance the Learning Design of Microlearning Courses appeared first on Learning Guild.

We’ll examine how to: Build feedback loops between LMS data and instructional decisions. Use learning data to inform governance, pathway design, and content strategy. Translate metrics into meaningful actions that impact both learners and business outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key metrics that can inform learning design decisions.
• Analyze learning data to uncover opportunities for improving system-wide engagement and efficiency.
• Create actionable strategies that align learning analytics with organizational goals.

The post Designing with Data: Using Learning Analytics to Architect Better Systems appeared first on Learning Guild.

Gain a comprehensive understanding of how courses, learners, and tracking data are structured, empowering you to ask smarter questions, generate targeted reports, and make data-driven decisions that drive organizational impact. We’ll explore common structures (courses, learners, enrollments, completions), highlight typical limitations of exports, and show how understanding the underlying model gives you more flexibility, better reporting, and smarter questions. No technical background required! We’ll use visual examples, simple metaphors, and real-world L&D scenarios to make the invisible architecture of your LMS make sense. If you’ve ever wondered “Why can’t I get that report? This session is for you.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand what a relational data model is and how most LMSs store and organize data
• Learn the key data relationships behind courses, learners, and tracking
• Discover what APIs are and how they can give you more access than standard reports
• Gain confidence in working with technical teams or vendors to ask for the right data

The post What’s Behind Your LMS Reports? Demystifying Data Models and APIs for Learning Pros appeared first on Learning Guild.

Learning Objectives:

• Apply a structured framework to evaluate the impact of a learning program retroactively.
• Design and implement a basic Impact Study using test and control groups to capture data across workforce segments.
• Leverage AI tools and prompts to accelerate analysis, surface key insights, and tell a compelling, executive-ready story about program value.

The post Back to the Impact: Measuring the Value of a Program Without a Pre-Built Strategy appeared first on Learning Guild.

Through guided worksheet activities, you’ll design a customized time tracking approach tailored to your organizational structure whether you work in an all-in-one or federated L&D function. You’ll leave with a practical tracking tool you can implement immediately, real examples of how data analysis drives operational improvements, and strategies to demonstrate measurable value to organizational leadership.

Learning Objectives:

• Differentiate between baselines and benchmarks and the value of each toward L&D operations.
• Draft customized time-tracking frameworks that align with their L&D function.
• Implement practical strategies for overcoming common barriers to time tracking.

The post From Tracking to Baseline: Creating Your L&D Operational Standards appeared first on Learning Guild.